Cooper: The game turns on another contentious decision

Mark Cooper bemoaned the officiating once again, as a red card for Kofi Shaw in the 75th minute changed the course of the Yeovil’s New Years Day match against Forest Green Rovers. The hosts went on to win 2-1 with a stoppage time winner from Ryan Inniss, but up until the sending off, the Glovers were well worth their 1-0 lead.

Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Jack Killah in the aftermath of the match Cooper praised his side’s performance: “First half, we were outstanding. [We] dominated the game with the ball. [We] played through a really good team and caused them untold problems, and we deserved to be winning. The game turns on another contentious decision. I just think when you come to the big boys – deemed big boys in the league – I don’t know what it is, I think if you give a pen for that, you give 10 a game. You could say [Kofi Shaw] doesn’t need to do it, but he clearly kicks the ball. Is it in the box? Very, very debatable. So I’m not sure you can give a penalty for that.”

Cooper also said there was a handball in the passage of play which resulted in the corner than Forest Green Rovers scored their winner from: “Well there was a handball. But, what they’ll say, is ‘it was accidental’. But listen, they’re gonna make it up as they go along, and make sure that Forest Green get a decision.”

With two goalkeepers on the bench and only Finn Cousin-Dawson and Michael Smith used from it, Cooper said he was working on ‘freshening’ up the squad in the next ten days and that the club had agreed a ‘really good one’.

“We played brilliantly well today. The first half, we were amazing,  that’s how we want to play. But when we look at the bench, we didn’t have too much where we could change it and freshen it up. And that’s what we’re going to be working on in the next 10 days. We’ve agreed one –  a really good one, and, [we are] still after a left-sided wing back.”